BBC presenter Zoe Ball replaced at last minute and wont be back 'for weeks'
BBC listeners were left startled this morning after their usual radio presenter didn't host her usual morning show, with it being revealed she wont be back 'for weeks'.
Zoe Ball, who runs the breakfast slot on BBC Radio 2, was absent from airwaves on Monday morning (12 August).
Instead, she was replaced by Scott Mills.
Addressing why he was on the radio show instead of Ball, Mills didn't go in to the reasons behind her absence. But he did say he and the breakfast show team were 'sending her all their love'.
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He said Ball, from Blackpool, would not be returning to the show 'for weeks'.
Starting up the show at 6.30am, Mills said: "Good morning. You weren't expecting me were you?
"Welcome to Monday. It's Scott Mills. If you set your alarm every morning to go off at 6.30 and normally Zoe comes on please do not freak out.
"You have not overslept. I'm here doing the Breakfast Show do not panic.
"It's early. You aren't late for work. It's Monday 12th August."
After the 8am news bulletin was read out to listeners, Mills said he would be standing in for Ball for the next few weeks.
Speaking to The Mirror, the BBC said she would not be back until September.
It is the second working week day Ball has not been fronting her show, with her also not appearing on last Friday's breakfast show.
That was despite telling her Instagram followers she would 'see them at dawn'. Instead, Gaby Roslin was brought in for the morning gig.
Like with Mills, the reason for Ball's absence was not eluded to by Roslin.
A spokesperson for the BBC said: "Zoe is taking time off and will return in September."
Ball's most recent post to Instagram shows her having had a good time with her children, having celebrated Brighton Pride and enjoyed a holiday in Ibiza.
She wrote: "My sun, my moon, my stars. Jet lagged, Brighton pride lagged, Ibiza lagged #fix #ravemonkeys #mumnbass."
It was revealed last month that Ball is one of the highest earners at the BBC, second only to Gary Lineker who takes home a cool £1.35 million.
Ball earns £950,000, which is a £30,000 drop year-on-year.
Third on the list was disgraced journalist Huw Edwards with a salary of £475,000. Last week the BBC asked him to return £200,000 of this after he pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children.
Tom Earnshaw